The Book of Clerith Tales
by PianoxLullaby
Summary: A collection of one-shot Clerith stories and poems written by PianoxLullaby
1. Poem: The Belly of June

**I. The Belly of June**

In the belly of June came the daintiest tune, the sweetest noon and a lover's swoon. The plains begot a festival of flowers; scented showers with intoxicating powers. Fresh blue sky, passion nigh, too young to die, feet to fly.

Born to be poor, this woman he adored. With long locks and stunted clocks, her beauty came a shock. Her spirit he kept, his heart had wept, and in the bottom of the sea she slept. Yet here she was, his dove, his love, sent to him as if from above.

They'd become one and the same, and in this place came no shame. A lover's hand, forever grand, in this: their Promised Land.

* * *

Inspired by Horse Feathers' The Belly of June. I tend to write a lot of Clerithy things while listening to this particular band. Their music is reminiscent of the calm countryside; very folky.


	2. Prose: Summer Lullaby

**II. Summer Lullaby**

A warm, lullaby wind danced over their bare skin in the hilly plains near the old Chocobo Farm. There was barely a cloud in the sky, and the air smelled of wheat and weeds. This place was perhaps the most relaxing in all of Gaia, and Cloud finally realized that in his desperation to leave his little town, he failed to appreciate what it had to offer. He decided he wanted to settle down in the country, far, far away from all things ShinRA and the hustle and bustle of big cities. This was a place he could easily call home.

Aerith smiled, acknowledging the glimmer of a grin on Cloud's face. It truly was beautiful out here, and despite her prior fears of the sky, it had become one of her favorite things. She never had before felt a warmth like this one, nor this sense of belonging. And the air here was so fresh; completely unpolluted, it seemed. Yes, she could get used to this place, and especially used to the view. But the best part may have been the quiet.

"This is nice," Cloud almost seemed to whisper, trying to make conversation. He was by now his real self, and Aerith had never been more infatuated with him. He was so awkward about the littlest things, and she couldn't help but find herself entertained by his easily-flustered nature. He was a teenage boy in a grown man's body, still experiencing a lot of emotions for the first time, still so unsure of a lot of things.

She moved a strand of hair from his eyes, looking down at him. "Yes, it is. I don't think I ever want to leave," she admitted. Cloud's expression showed a bit of hopefulness as he sat upright, leaning towards her on one arm.

"Yeah?" He looked out into the plains at the wild Chocobo's grazing in the distance. "Yeah, I could live out here." As if on cue, the breeze began to blow past them, breathing new life into them, it felt. With everything they'd just faced, new life sounded so wonderful. A second chance. A new beginning.

Aerith leaned back into him, resting one hand on top of his. "You know, I could live out here, too. I could call this home. Which... is strange, because I guess I never really belonged anywhere, before. I'd like that... to belong."

He had almost flinched when he felt her fingers brush against his. It was so strange how before he could go so far as to kiss the top of her hand without a bit of hesitation, but now that he knew who he was, even the simplest gestures had him flustered and panicked. If only he could be so cool and collected like Zack used to be.

Cloud took a deep breath, "I never really belonged anywhere, either. But... that's okay, now."

"Why's that?"

He turned and smiled at her, blushing perhaps. "Because I have you... t-to belong with." When she didn't answer immediately he began to panic. "Right?"

Aerith laughed. "Oh, of course, Cloud! Calm down, silly."

He sighed, relieved that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself as he was so used to doing.

As the Chocobo's warked in the distance, Cloud felt the fatigue that had set in from their perilous, world-saving journey. From the mako-poisoning and the stress and the chaos. He still hadn't really rested since the end of the battle. It was almost as if he didn't know how to. Aerith could see the sleepiness sweep over his face, and she invited him to rest his head in her lap. "You should really rest, Cloud. You look like a ghost these days."

She began to pull her fingers through his hair gently, making the drowsiness set in even more than it had been before. She began to hum a song that he could have sworn he had heard before, but couldn't name where or when. "I... _feel_ like a ghost... these days." His eye-lids started to feel heavier and heavier. He wanted so badly to fight it for no reason other than that he wanted to be awake with her.

Aerith shushed him and watched as he fell asleep, and in doing so, felt fatigue set up in herself, as well. She yawned and stretched her arms out beneath her, falling asleep beside him in the summer heat.

* * *

This one was inspired by a prompt given to me on tumblr from another Clerith. I was in a Clerithy mood and was just begging for prompts, ha ha! There's something about calm, countryside that scream CLERITH to me. Not sure why.


	3. Prose: The Halcyon Spirit

**III. ****The Halcyon Spirit**

An echo poured over the cosmos, drenching the depths of the Planet with new life and vitality. She breathed and the wind would bow to her. She danced and the flowers would bloom. She smiled and the light would shine. In an instant, she could make a withering world thrive again with one word of encouragement.

She became known as the Mother of Gaia, the Angel of Life, the Halcyon Spirit. She enveloped the sick and dying and restored their quivering souls, warming their hearts and rekindling their hope. He was desperate for her hands again, desperate for the sound of her heartbeat, desperate for her clumsy feet pitter-pattering close behind. Cloud was never so sure of how lost he was in life until he met her, and didn't realize how much she stabilized his path until she was taken. They say it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, but this loss had broken him from within.

During the night he closed his eyes and let himself be eaten by the darkness of the night. He felt his body falling, circling round and round into nowhere. He was weightless externally, but his insides felt heavy and dense, like something were sitting atop his chest. Cloud couldn't explain this feeling; this heavy weightlessness, just like he couldn't explain this passionate hurt he felt when he felt nothing at all. It was all a paradox and he felt as though he'd just opened Pandora's box, floating into the unknown blindly.

In the darkness, he began to hear her call. High-pitched coos, like a faraway bird that existed somehow within the depths of outer space. Halcyon Spirit. Her song echoed between the stars and tickled at his head. He felt as though he were being rinsed with cold water; like someone had just poured a large bucket over his head. He breathed as though it were the first time. His fingertips began to tingle-he knew it was her. Cloud wanted to open his eyes, he needed to see her again, but they wouldn't budge. He was doomed to the dark now.

He tried to call her name. Aerith. But his voice was made mute by the deafening silence of space. Only her song filled his ears now. She was the only one with power here. This was her domain, and as vulnerable as that was, it was total paradise. _Is this our world? _The Spirit healed him in every way that a person could be healed. She lifted his drowning heart afloat in the turmoil of his soul, kissed it gently and nurtured it. She cared for his life like a hen and an egg; always watching, always close. He was weightless now.

And the lights flicked on. And his bed was beneath him again. Though he were back where he fell asleep, the cold of his room had been replaced by warmth, as though the sun had risen and were beaming through the windows. The Halcyon Spirit had only just left. But she was still near. Always watching. Always close.

* * *

Ellie Goulding's Mirror heavily inspires me towards something Aerith related, and since I've been in a Clerith mood, I wrote a fanfic with said inspiration. Ellie is a Queen.


End file.
